The Alicorn Promise
by The Master 100
Summary: The Alicorn Promise was a simple law. Any Alicorn children belonged to the Royal Family. This had never been a problem, as Alicorn children had only been born into the Royal Family. But one day, everything changed.
1. Chapter 1

I remember the day she was born. I remember how excited we all were. And I remember how fast it was all lost.

Waterlilly sat behind the counter, fanning herself with a thin paper fan. Even though the shop had a cooling system, the sun was beating down on Canterlot as it had never done before. The shop was fairly busy, and the mummer of city noises floated in from the street. Waterlilly rubbed her stomach, knowing that soon, if not this week, the baby would come. It was kicking now, as it often did. She smiled to herself. The baby would most likely be unicorn, but she had heard a rumor from Sugar Spun of two earth ponies in Ponyville who had Pegasus and Unicorn twins. Her family was a mix of Unicorn and Pegasus, but the all the recent generation had been unicorn. Oak Leaf was also from a Unicorn family, one of the first prominent families in Canterlot. A customer looking at the rose selection looked over at her swollen stomach and smiled. She smiled back. Today was a good day.

Late in the afternoon, Rose Stem walked into the shop. She looked at Waterlilly and smiled.

"Hot enough for you?" Waterlilly asked, wiping sweat off her forehead.

"Sure is. But I just heard the Pegasus will give us some rain today. They're worried about a drought." Rose Stem said, leaning against the counter.

"Just what I need with this little guy on the way- droughts and heat." Waterlilly rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Ow!" She cried suddenly, clutching her stomach.

"What? What's happening?" Rose Stem asked frantically. Waterlilly waved her away.

"I should probably go to the hospital soon." Waterlilly said, teeth clenched.

"Oak! Oak! Come down here!" Rose Stem called. "The baby's coming!"

"Are you ok? Oak Leaf asked nervously.

"We're almost there, mister. Just another minute, at most." The cabby said, looking back at Waterlilly.

"I can make it till then." She said, hand tightly wrapped around Oak's. The cab ride passed quickly, and Oak helped her out of the car. She walked slowly to the door, and two nurses in blue uniforms ran out to her. She was put into a wheelchair, and was given one of the few free rooms. The Pony Pox was spreading around, and if any children got it, it could be serious. The pain had escalated quickly, and soon she blacked out. When she woke up, a Doctor was looking at her heart rate monitor. He saw she was awake, and took her hand gently.

"Are you ready to start now?" He asked. She nodded weakly. She turned her head to see Oak next to her.

"You'll be fine, honey." He said assumingly. "Our baby will be here soon."

The first hour after birth, she was too weak to do much. The baby, wrapped in a light pink blanket, rested in her arms. Oak was in a chair besides her, reading a small booklet the doctor had given him about newborn feeding techniques. The baby made a small noise, and moved around in the blanket. She looked down at the baby.

"Our baby." She said softly. She brushed a lock of blue hair out of the baby's face. A spiraled horn protruded out of her forehead. "A Unicorn." She said happily. Oak took her hand, looking lovingly at their foal.

"Our checkout time is at 5:00, but you should get some rest before that."

"I'm so excited." Waterlilly said, smiling. "We're starting a real family now." She stared out the window. "How long have we been here?" She asked.

"We got here around 3:30 yesterday. The labor lasted until 10:00, and then you slept a while they did some routine tests on the baby, and then put her in the nursery."

"Her?" Waterlilly asked, looking down at the child in her arms. "A little filly?"

"Our little filly." Oak said happily.

Waterlilly was wheeled out, holding the baby in her arms. It occurred to her she had not yet named her yet. The foal was blue, with light purple eyes. She smiled at these. Violet eyes, as her grandmother had always told her, were a sign of great power. They sparkled perfectly in the sun of the early morning. She looked remarkably like herself, she thought. Their coat was almost the same color, but she had her father's mane. It was on the ride home that she decided on a name for the sleeping child, still wrapped cozily in her blanket; Iris.

They let the baby sleep when they got home, placing her gently in the nursery they had prepared long ago. Oak Leaf rested as well, but Waterlilly stayed up. She sat next to her child, looking at her with a love she had never felt before- a motherly love, she supposed. She knew she should go downstairs to check on the shop, but she didn't want to leave her newborn baby. Eventually, her eyes drooped down, and she rested for many long hours before waking again.


	2. Chapter 2

The child had slept through the busiest hours of the day, but Waterlilly had closed the shop. She had just woken up from her nap. Oak and Iris were still sleeping. She smiled at this thought. Iris. It was real, then. There was a foal sleeping upstairs, resting peacefully. She was making the cards now, sending the great news to all of her family and friends. She paused, pen to her lips. It was strange that the baby hadn't woken. Not even once. And it hadn't cried. Or eaten. Worry creased her brow. Was it sick? In foals, Pony Pox could be fatal. And they had just been in the hospital, and no doubt others there were sick. She set the pen down and quickly trotted upstairs.

The baby let out a small sigh as she watched over it. She placed a hoof on its head. No fever. As she did this, the child's eyes opened. They were a wonderful violet color. She looked down at the pink blanket wrapping the baby in a cocoon. It must be filthy. She wrinkled her nose at it and quickly went to the cupboard. They had so many little foal outfits. Maybe she would like the footed pajamas, or perhaps the rose shirt? She decided on the pajamas, and brought them back to her child. She took the blanket off with one pull, contemplating whether to throw it out. She threw the blanket behind her, tugging the pajamas softly. The baby looked up at her and gurgled happily. Waterlilly smiled, feeling the same warm motherly love she had felt before.

She was still working out which legs went into which holes when she stopped suddenly. There, on Iris's side. What was that? A scar? A cutie mark? Waterlilly contemplated the last one, knowing it would be remarkable if she had one already. But then she saw it was neither. It was a wing. She turned the foal over gently. On the other side too. She laughed softly. The odds were low they would have a Pegasus baby, but they had. She tucked a lock of blue hair behind Iris's head. Oh, the fun she would have with those wings. But as she looked at her child's face, her eyes were brought up to the horn on her forehead. She gasped and quickly set the child down.

It was impossible. There was no way this could have happened. She turned the baby over again, looking at its wings. They were there. But so was the horn. They can't _both _be there. There was no Royal blood in her family. Perhaps there was some in Oak's. She turned out of the nursery and quickly ran to her bedroom. There, she woke the sleeping Oak.

"Wha- what? What's wrong? Is it the baby? Is she okay?" Oak asked worriedly, sitting up.

"Do you have any Royal Blood in your family?" Waterlilly asked frantically.

"No, of course not. Why? What's wrong?"

"You're sure? Your family was one of the first ones in Canterlot, I'm sure there had to be a Princess, or Prince, or Niece, or something!"

"Nothing. We were pure Unicorn. Well, except for a few Pegasus here and there. If nothing's wrong, can I go back to bed?" Waterlilly was silent, and Oak turned back over. She trotted slowly back to the nursery. It was curious this would happen. But still, her child could have both the powers of a Unicorn and the flight of a Pegasus. It was a wonderful thing, really. She could have so many opportunities now. But then Waterlilly remembered; the Alicorn Promise.

The Alicorn Promise was a law stating all Alicorns were Royalty, and belonged to the Royal Family. This law had never had to been stressed before, there had never been any Alicorns outside of the Royal Family. But Iris was an Alicorn. They would take her away. She would be put into the Royal Family. Waterlilly look at her foal. They couldn't take her away. She was _her _child. But Iris could never go out in public without hiding herself. She could never live a normal life. But maybe she could live a normal life in Royalty. She could always turn her in, stay on the safe side of the law. But deep down, she knew she never could. This was her child, and she would protect her.


	3. Chapter 3

The phone rang in the evening. Waterlilly let it ring for a while, thinking it over. It could be an order. Or family, asking about the baby. There was no way the Royal Guard could already know. Oak Leaf had gone away for bussniess, a meeting of florists that had been planned months in advance. He didn't want to leave her, with her weakened post-birth state. But she had wanted him to go. He hadn't fully grasped the idea of their child being an Alicorn. He seemed to be dazed, and Waterlilly thought it would be good if he had sometime to become accustomed to the idea. After he left, she had shut the windows, drawn the blinds, and locked the doors. The telephone would be the first human contact she had had in days.

"Hello?"

"Waterlilly?! Are you ok? How's the baby?" An urgent voice on the other end of the line asked.

"Who is this?" She asked.

"Rose Stem. The shop hasn't been open, we all thought something had happened."

"No, no. The baby… is fine. I'm just tired, and Oak leaf is away." There was a moment of silence on the line.

"He's gone?! You just gave birth, how could he do that? You must be stuck in bed, I honestly don't know what came over him! I'm coming over right now!" Waterlilly started to protest, but Rose Stem hung up before she could say anything. She stood there for a moment, and then realized she had to hide the baby. But she couldn't hide it, Rose Stem would want to see it. She left the baby in it's high chair and trotted upstairs to find something to cover the wings with. There was no way she could cover the horn, so her child would have to act the part of a Unicorn. She found a small package in the back of the closet of baby clothes, received from her parents when she had first told them the news. She took out the pink pajamas. They would have to do.

She had only just fitted the child in the clothes when there was a series of knocks at the door. She put the baby in the high chair again, and quickly cleaned up the dishes from the past few meals, and opened the blinds. She opened the door, the fresh air and sunlight surprising her.

"Waterlilly!" Rose Stem cried happily, hugging her, as if they hadn't seen each other in years. "How's the baby?" She let Waterlilly out of her grasp, and let herself in. Waterlilly stood in the open doorway for a while, staring up at the Royal Castle. They wouldn't take her child.

"Aww, she's in pajamas! That's so cute!" Rose Stem exclaimed! "You must be so tired, though. Having to raise a new born by yourself. I brought some cupcakes from Canterlot Cakes, I just left them on the table." She turned back to the child, cooing over it. Waterlilly peeked into the box. Wow, those cupcakes looked amazing. The frosting must have taken forever. Rose Stem was laughing in the background.

"Looks like somepony needs to be changed…" Rose Stem stated, carrying her off into her nursery. Waterlilly continued looking at the cupcakes. She wasn;t really thinking of them, any more. It was just nice to get some alone time, where worry didn't exist. She heard frantic trots running down the stairs, and curiously peeked out of the kitchen doorway. She saw a brief glimpse of Rose Stem's red tail turn the corner. What in the world? And then she remembered. Rose Stem had gone to change the baby, so she would have had to take the pajamas off. She couldn't have seen-

The small child flew recklessly around the room, laughing as it chased the slowly rotating ceiling fan. It was only barely aware of the noises downstairs. She bumped into the ceiling fan and slowly floated back down. Ouch. She sat for a moment, listening. She could feel something was wrong, and it made her want to cry. The back door's loud, rusty hinges swung open. The midday heat was settling, as was the sun in the distance, and a lone voice on the empty streets called, 'Rose Stem! I can explain!'


	4. Chapter 4

"Hello?" The voice rang through the dark house. Where had she gone? To the store, perhaps. But why would she close everything up? Then the smell hit her. It was a stale, sour smell. He saw one pair of eyes in the darkness, gleaming dimly.

"Waterlilly? Are you… is that you?" He flipped on the light near the door. It was Waterlilly. She looked pale. He backed up, through the door. She was Waterlilly, but she wasn't. Waterlilly was always laughing and smiling, making everyone around her happy. But this Waterlilly- she was afraid. He could see it in her eyes. In the light, he could also see their child. She was levitating herself, arms wrapped around her small figure. Oak Leaf quickly slammed the door, stepping back into the light of day. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't go back. So he ran.

He ended up in the park. It was empty, and the sun cast long shadows across the grass. He still had his suitcase, and his hat. He was just sitting on the bench, listening to the soft sounds of the wind brushing against the leaves. He didn't know what had happened to Waterlilly, or the child. She had been so worried about the child, scared like he had never seen her before. She was just being crazy, though. The Royal Family would understand. It didn't really matter that the child was an Alicorn. But why had she been so scared? The only reason he could think she would lock herself up like that was she became so scared, alone and paranoid, of losing their child, that her thoughts had carried her away, and she had prepared herself for the worst. He looked up at the sky. It would be difficult, trying to convince her everything was okay. There was a sudden noise behind him. He didn't turn around; it was most likely just some animal running through the branch. But then, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. And then, his eyes closed.

He woke up cold. This was the first thing he noticed, his limbs shaking slightly. All around him, stonewalls reflected the dim light coming form a torch in front of him. Where was he? He tried to reach for his head, which still hurt. His arms were tied. His legs were too.

"Hello?" He called out.

"Hello." A smooth voice responded.

"Who are you?" He asked, squinting in the darkness. "Where am I?"

"One question at a time. I serve the Royal Family, that is all you need to know." There was a brief pause. "You are the spouse of Waterlilly Greenspot?"

"Listen, whatever this is, don't get Waterlilly involved-"

"Where is the child?"

"What?" Oak Leaf asked, his brow knotting in confusion. Then it made sense. Waterlilly's paranoid fears- they had been true. They were going to take her away. He knew if he said anything, they could find her.

"Answer." The voice commanded. Oak Leaf stayed silent, trying to make out his captor in the dark. He could only see an outline.

"Answer!" He could now tell that whoever was speaking had not been prepared for silence. If he could only see them…

"In Celestia's name, we praise our sun. In Luna's name, we praise the moon." Oak Leaf recited the anthem he had been made to say every morning when he was still in school. "Mother of Celestia. Oh my Celestia. Our tyrant rules us with an iron fist." He said, straining to remember every curse whispered, every forbidden accusation.

"You will not speak of your ruler in such a fashion!" The voice was more urgent now, and it sounded annoyed. "Perhaps some physical force will make you talk."

Just as Oak Leaf started to respond, the air was knocked out of his lungs.


	5. Chapter 5

The phone rang. Waterlilly turned her head toward it quickly. The last time she had had contact with the world outside was yesterday, when Oak Leaf had fled from the house. She had dared to open an upstairs window since then, the air had been so stale and pungent she had felt sick. The child stayed in it's meditating position, levitating, encased in the glow of it's makic, wings moving slowly. The house was brighter now. She had lit some candles, and attempted to convince herself this would all be over soon. She hesitated before even walking over to the phone. But she had to convince everyone that everything was fine, that their baby was fine, that their life was fine. So she picked it up. At first, the other end of the phone was silence.

"Waterlilly?" A voice asked. It was one she knew.

"Rose Stem?" She asked. She hadn't spoken in days- her voice sounded strained, and rough. She cleared her throat. "I need to explain what happened with the baby. She was born with a defect, but it was taken care of. She's fine now." Waterlilly lied, staring at her child in the corner.

"It… it wasn't a defect, Waterlilly, and I'm so sorry…" The voice trailed off and Waterlilly could hear muffled sobbing in the background. "I thought they could help you. They told me they could. They took my husband, Waterlilly, you have to understand!" Rose Stem pleaded, they crying louder now.

"What did you do?" Waterlilly screamed into the phone. Had she told them?

"I'm so sorry!" Rose Stem sobbed, hanging up the phone. Waterlilly stood in shock for a moment. They knew. They knew about the child, they knew where she was. They would be here any second. Waterlilly ran to her child, trying to grab her in her arms. The child's magic resisted her. For the first time in days, the child opened its eyes. They were no longer purple, but a bright white, glowing in the dimly lit house. Waterlilly screamed and backed up, bumping into the chair. Stumbling backwards, she found herself on the ground. This was not her child. Had it ever been her child? Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, she heard a slow, yet loud, knocking at the door.


	6. Chapter 6

She didn't move when she heard the knocking. She wouldn't make a sound; she would just sit there. But the knocking didn't wait. The small, rounded door was burst down, and the chilly afternoon air filled the house. Guards, wearing dark armor, and hoods that covered their faces, marched into the house. Once there were five guards in the house, they bowed out of the way to a being that gave a faint glow. Not as bright as the child, still in the corner, but not dim enough to not be noticed. Even thought she was already on the ground, Waterlilly did not bow to Celestia. She would never bow to her.

"The child." Princess Celestia said, hair moving in a non-existent breeze. "Where is the child?" Her voice was regal, and fluent.

"Here, your highness." Two dark guards stood near her child. Waterlilly could not tell which one had spoken. Princess Celestia walked over to the child, and placed a hoof on the magic field surrounding it. She pulled her hand back immediately.

"You have a strong child." Celestia turned to her, and smirked. "But I will break her." She faced the child again, and braced her legs. Her horn started to glow, building up to the point where the light was almost binding. Then, she released it upon the child. The magic field broke, and the tiny foal collapsed on the floor.

"No!" Waterlilly screamed, jumping up. Immediately, a guard was in front of her. He pushed her back down, lightly pressing a spear point against her neck. He looked at her, eyes only dark glints behind the hood that hid his face. Celestia held the child up, and placed her on her back.

"The ceremony will be next week. Keep her alive to see it. I want her there." Princess Celestia said, and walked out of the house. She guards followed her, except for the one who had kept her at spear point. He shoved her to her feet and forced her out the door. They followed Princess Celestia in a line, the streets empty. The moon shone down on them, and Princess Luna watched from her tower.

The next days were a blur of beatings and blackouts in a cold prison. She was not fed. There was another being across the hall, but they kept it so dark she could not tell whom it was. They were hanging from cuffs. At least she was in a cell. She would often crane her neck out into the hallway. At one end, there was a beam of light. Just a glimmer, but it kept her going everyday. It gave her hope, though she didn't know why. And then the day came. The guards came, three of them, the same dark guards as before. They unlocked her cell, and brought her towards the glimmer. Glancing behind her, the light of the torch the guards carried reflecting off the smooth floors and walls, she saw her fellow prisoner, who had already begun to rot, was Oak Leaf. She screamed, and a guard punched her in the back of her head. She fainted again.


	7. Chapter 7

When she awoke, she was in bright sunlight. She squinted her eyes. How many days had it been since she had seen the sun? Four? Five? She didn't know. The guards from before surrounded her, holding her hoofs down. Her mouth was dry, and she had trouble swallowing. She was positioned in front of a thin, gray window, overlooking the large yard in front of the Royal Palace. There was a crowd there. Larger than she had ever seen. This must be all of Canterlot, and the surrounding towns. She looked to where the crowd was intently focused on. As she saw the figure, tall and Godly, she growled, low in her throat. The pony she had praised just weeks ago was there now, accepting the cheering crowd with a smile.

"Attention, please!" The voice commanded. Waterlilly looked down to the crowd below. Did they not hear the commanding tone in her voice? "We are here today to welcome a new member to the Royal Family... Princess Evening Star!" Waterlilly stared at her blankly. In the midst of all this, she had the nerve to set it all aside for some new princess? But then she saw the small filly Celestia was holding. Even from behind tinted glass, she could recognize her own child.

The guards expected her to make a move soon, she felt them grasp her hooves tighter. But she didn't move. She didn't even think, just for that brief second. She knew her daughter would have been accepted into the Royal Family if her secret had ever been discovered- but to be named a princess, to be labeled as Celestia's relative... she had not expected that. Still, she stayed put, unmoving. But then, the crowd started to cheer. Oh, they yelled and hollered and stomped their hooves on the ground. They cheered for their new princess, and they were happy because Celestia was happy. And that was when, as the report would later describe it, she lost it. Her mind went blank, only thinking of the child.

"My baby!" She screamed, twisting out of the grasp of the guards, which had been loosened in the process of the ceremony. "That's my baby!"

Wasting no time, the guards lunged towards her, with great speed and ferocity. But she ran faster. She reached for her child, who seemed so close to her... but she reached too far. As she was falling, she looked up. She saw a hooded face watch her fall for just a second, then pull back. She turned in mid-air to take one last took at the ceremony. And there, for just a fleeting moment, her child looked at her, with her big violet eyes.

The shatter of glass and scream wasn't heard over the stomping of the crowd. The body, lost in the thick undergrowth, was never recovered. But every night, Princess Evening Star raises the star she was named after, to light the way of lost travelers.

I remember the day she was born. I remember how excited we all were. And I remember how fast it was all lost.

Sorry for the delays between chapter. Any ideas for my next story? Leave a review and I'll credit you. Thanks for reading.


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